Djokovic Wins 7th China Open Title as De Minaur Retires Injured

Novak Djokovic secured the China Open trophy after Alex de Minaur retired due to injury during their final match on Tuesday in Beijing. Both players took medical timeouts early in the match, with De Minaur struggling with a groin issue and ultimately retiring after just one game into the second set.

The 39-year-old Djokovic triumphed with a scoreline of 7-6 (3), 0-1, extending his flawless China Open record to 34-0.

"I always have high expectations of myself and always want to visualise myself with the trophy, particularly here in Beijing, a place where I have never lost," Djokovic said. "But I was also aware that reality is a little bit different these days."

This marked Djokovic's return to Beijing for the first time since his last title there in 2015. His seventh win at this tournament was also his 102nd ATP tour title, putting him just one behind Roger Federer. Jimmy Connors leads the Open era with 109 titles.

Djokovic has only lost one other final this year, falling to Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open.

"This year has been quite challenging for me: lots of physical and health issues," Djokovic admitted. "I was just trying to find a good feeling on the court. I know that when I'm feeling well and striking the ball well, I can compete at the highest level. This week has been evidence of that."

During the event, Djokovic defeated three top-10 opponents for the first time in three years. He overcame U.S. Open champion Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals and advanced past Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals after Medvedev was disqualified for hitting a spectator with a ball.

Alex de Minaur, ranked No. 9, challenged the No. 11 Djokovic with aggressive groundstrokes in the opening set, saving two break points before errors cost him the tiebreak. De Minaur fired 11 winners compared to Djokovic’s three.

"I want to say sorry to all the amazing fans who came to watch this match. I didn't want to finish like this, so I'm really sorry," De Minaur said.

De Minaur reached the final after Hubert Hurkacz retired injured in their semifinal match. The Australian was aiming for his first Beijing title and his second tournament win this year, having claimed Rotterdam in February.

Women’s Tournament Updates

In the women's singles round of 16, 34th-ranked Nikola Bartunkova continued her strong run by defeating Sinja Kraus 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, following a straight-sets upset of second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the third round.

Meanwhile, fifth seed Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova suffered a surprise loss to 19th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-2, 6-2. Seventh seed Karolina Muchova survived a tough match against 12th seed Naomi Osaka, winning 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7).